Improvement in pelting-machines



imp rovement'in Felting Machines.

Patented Nov. 21 1871.

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lmprov emeint i n Felting Machines.

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$10,121,045. Patented Nov. 21,1871.

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No. 121,045. Patented Nov-21,1871,

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RUDOLPH EIOKEMEYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FELTlNG-MACHINES.

- Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,045, dated November 21, 1871.

Toall whom it may concern: Be it known that I, RUDOLPH EroKEi/mYEn,

of the city and county of New York and State the .jiggering platen a series of adjustable rocking supporting columns supported upon a fixed base, whereby the jiggering platen has a firm and unyielding support which admits of its rapid reciprocating motion with comparatively little friction. My invention further consists in combining with the jiggering platen mechanism for reciprocating it rapidly with gradually diminishing extent of motion, or throw, as it is some I times termed, the combination being such that when the jigger is first applied to the bat to be felted the throw ofothe jigger may be as great as the nature of --the fabric admits of and as the fibers of the bat shrink together or consolidate in the process of felting the throw gradually diminishes until the required felting is completed. By gradually diminishing the throw of the jigger from, say, an eighth of an inch throw or thereabout, at the commencement of the operation of felting, to a scarcely appreciable motion at the close, the felting action of the machine corres ponds with the gradual shrinkage and consolidation of the fibers of the bat, and a more perfectly felted fabric is produced with less power. This part of my invention is more particularly valuable when applied to fabrics that are completely felted in jiggering machines in contradistinction to fabrics that are hardened in jiggering machines and felted in full-mills but it is of value to the latter class of fabrics if felted to any consider able extent by the jigger; and in that case the extent of motion of the jigger should be gradu ally diminished during the operation of the machine as the bat hardens, the extent of the throw at the close of the operation depending upon the required hardening of the bat. This part of my invention is not limited to any special mechanism for gradually reducing the throw of the jigger, because it is evident that many forms of devices may be used for the purpose. A compound eccentric, gradually shifted by slow-moving gear so as to gradually diminish its throw, may be used; or a crank motion with an intervening lever with'a gradually-shifting fulcrum may also be used to give motion to the jigger; but I prefer to use the mechanism hereinafter described and shown for the purpose, and which forms the subject of another part of my invention. My invention further consists in combining with the rotating eccentric which imparts the reciprocatin g motion given to the jigger-platen a vibrating lever supported upon a movable fulcrum, which movable fulcrum is gradually moved by the power of the machine, so as to cause the link by which the reciprocating motion of the jigger is imparted to the rock-shaft arms connected with the jigger to gradually increase its angle with this rock-shaft arm, to which it is connected, from an acute angle toward a right angle, thereby gradually reducing the throw of the jiggering platen. My invention. also consists in a means of disconnecting the motive power of the machine from the mechanism for reducing the throw of the jigger-viz., a lifting cam or toe placed upon the segment-wheel, which operates the movable support or fulcrum of the vibrating lever before spoken of, in combination with a yielding wormshaft which operates the segment-wheel and is held by a spring or other suitable yielding device for holding the worm in gear with the segmentwheel, the combination being such that when the throw of the jigger is diminished, as required, the toe attached to the segment is brought against the worm-shaft and lifts it to disconnect the worm from the segment wormwheel.

The accompany drawing represents a machine for felting horse-blankets, in which my improvements are embodied.

Figure l is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. at is a vertical cross section through dotted lines at, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through dotted lines 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the stationary platen, showing the scored felting surface conforming to the outline of half a horse-blanket.

a representsthe frame of the machine; b, the stationary yielding platen placed between the frame-posts and connected with the rear framed posts by adjustable links 0 0 d represents a roller, supported in bearings d d at one side of the machine, and provided with a crank-handle, (1 The felted fabric is wound upon this roller, and a fresh section of the bat drawn in under the platen from a similar roller, not shown in the drawing, but which may be placed in a similar position at the opposite side of the machine. The yielding platen b is lifted, to introduce the bat and withdraw the felted fabric, by cams e e e 0 upon rock-shafts c in front and rear of the machine, connected together by arms 0 e and a link, e, so as to be operated simultaneously by a hand-lever, 0 9 represents the felting surface of the yielding platen, which, in this instance, conforms to the shape of half a horse-blanket, and is scored with fine grooves transversely to the line of motion of the jiggering platen. f represents the jiggerin g platen, commonly called a jigger, supported upon six rocking columns, f three at each side of the machine, beneath the jiggering platen. These rocking columns are supported upon adjustable steps f one for each column, as shown in section, Fig. 4. Byproperly adjustingthe steps the jiggering platen may be firmly and evenly supported. The felting surface of the jigger-platen should be scored with fine lines or grooves transversely to the line of its motion. The jiggering platen is connected by adjustable links h h with the arms b It attached to the rock-shaft It. The rock-shaft 7V is oscillated by a crank or eccentric, 6, carried by a crank-shaft, 2' the crank being connected through a system of links and levers, next to be described, with a long bent arm, k attached to the rock-shaft h. 7' represents an H-shaped vibrating lever, connected with the crank i by an adjustable link, j and pivoted horizontally upon the upper ends of two rocking arms, k 70, attached to a rocking shaft, M, which rocks in fixed bearings 754 k at the base of the machine, in front thereof. The vibrating lever j is connected with the long bent arm ]L5 of the rock-shaft h by an adjustable link, It.

The position of the parts being as shown in Fig. 5, it follows that by gradually moving the rocking shaft 70 and its arms in a direction away from the machine that the angle of the link k with the long bent arm IL5 is gradually increased from an acute angle to nearly a right angle, as shown in Fig. 2, and the extent of motion of said arm, and consequently that of its rock-shaft and the jiggerin g platen, correspondingly diminished. Fig. 5 represents the parts in position to communicate the greatest throw, and Fig. 2 the parts in the position to which they have been gradually moved to communicate the shortest throw to the jiggering mechanism. The rocking shaft 70 with its arms 70 and k are moved automatically, to gradually diminish the throw of the jiggering mechanism. by means of a worm, l, which gears into a segmental worm-wheel, 1

attached to or cast upon the arm 70 of the rock shaft 1.1 The worm l is carried by a slowly-rotating shaft, P, which extends horizontally to the rear end of the machine, where it is connected by a worm-wheel, l and a worm, Z with a transverse shaft, m, extending across the rear end of the machine, and carrying a step conepulley, m by which it is driven by a belt, m from a corresponding step cone-pulley, n, upon the crank-shaft 17 To operate the machine power is applied to the driving-pulley 12 upon the outer end of the crankshaft outside of the fiy-wheel g, also placed upon said crank-shaft. 1" represents the releasing-cam or toe attached to the end of the segmental worm-wheel by a screw, r so as to project sufficiently to lift the worm-shaft from the worm-segment when the latter has been moved the required distance. It may be made adjustable by a slot, so that it can be fastened by the screw in different positions up or down to vary the time of releasing the worm from the segment-wheel. The worm-wheel is held down upon the segment-wheel by a spring, 8, Fig. 5, concealed in the frame-post, through which the worm-shaft passes. The worm-wheel shaft lis lifted by the handle tto release the segment worm-wheel, which may then be moved back to its proper position for starting the jigger by the hand-lever 21. attached to the arm in of the rock-shaft 7c".

The foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawing, describes a machine in which all my above-mentioned improvements are embodied; but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that most of said improvements may be separately embodied in machines which do not contain the others. The advantage in making the stationary platen yielding in combination with a jiggering platen that is supported by a fixed support is that the jigger may not be encumbered with weight necessary to give the necessary pressure, as when the jigger-platen is weighted and placed over the stationary platen, which additional weight by its inertia interferes with the rapid reciprocating motion of the jigger'platen.

In a former patent I have made the stationary platen a fixed platen, and have passed the jiggerplaten up toward it by weighted levers in order to get rid of the defect of a weighted jiggerplaten; but this involves an expensive and rather complicated system of cams and levers hardly suitable to so extensive a felting surface as may be obtained in the present machine by simply weighting the stationary platen and permitting it to press with the force due to its weight upon the surface of the bat over the jiggering platen. I prefer to make the jiggering platen in the form ofaflat steam-chestperiorated with holesthrough the upper side, the steam being distributed within by perforated pipes w, as shown in the drawmg g V I claim- 1. The combination and arrangement of a stationary yielding platen with a jiggering platen placed beneath, and supported upon fixed bearings, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a stationary yielding platen, adjustable links connecting the platen and frame, whereby the platen may be firmly and accurately held against the lateral thrust of the jiggering platen.

3. In combination with the jiggering platen, the adjustable supporting rocking columns, sup ported upon a fixed base, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4:- In combination with the stationary platen of a felting-machine, a jiggering platen having a gradually-diminishing throw, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the jiggering platen and the crank or eccentric from which it derives its motion, the intervening vibrating lever and link-connection placed upon a shifting fulcrum, and operating to gradually diminish the throw of the jiggerplaten, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the jiggering platen and the mechanism for moving it with a gradually-diminishing throw, the lifting-toe or cam and the yielding worm-shaft, whereby said mechanism is released from connection with the power of the machine, and the gradual shortening of the throw by the automatic action of the machine caused to cease at a determined time without stopping the reciprocating action of the jiggering platen.

Witnesses: R. EIOKEMEYER.

WM. F. Ln'rcr, F. O. TREADWELL, Jr. (76) 

